Staff Writer
HOULTON — Four men from southern Aroostook County were arrested by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency following a criminal investigation.
Darrell Crandall, MDEA division commander, announced Thursday that police have charged Ian Small, 20, and Reggie McGary, 32, both of Houlton, with aggravated trafficking in oxycodone, which is a Class A offense. The charge was elevated to aggravated trafficking because the two sold narcotics within 1,000 feet of a school, but did not say which school that was.
Also charged were Robert Rutty, 33, of Crystal and Houlton, with trafficking in oxycodone, a Class B offense; and Micah Ryan, 20, of Houlton, with trafficking in suboxone, a Class B offense.
All four suspects posted bail and will make initial appearances in Aroostook County Superior Court in the coming weeks. The Class A crimes carry a minimum four-year prison sentence, while the Class B crimes carry no minimum, but have a 10-year maximum.
According to Crandall, the investigation began earlier this summer following multiple tips to police. As part of the overall investigation, MDEA Agents purchased drugs from all of the defendants, some of them on more than one occasion. All of those charged are connected to varying degrees by their criminal activity, while not all of them worked directly together.
“The diversion, abuse and sale of prescription narcotics remain a very serious problem throughout Maine,” Crandall said. “Accidental overdose deaths from the abuse of these drugs continue to outpace traffic fatalities and MDEA’s arrests for the criminal sale of these drugs outnumbers the arrests for the sale of all other drugs.”
Agents assigned to this investigation are on loan to MDEA from the Houlton Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, Maine State Police and Presque Isle Police Department. The Houlton Police Department also assisted MDEA with the investigation and arrests. The Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute these cases.
Information on drug crimes may be reported to MDEA at 1-800-452-6457, the MDEA website at www.maine.gov/dps/mdea or MDEA’s smartphone application for iPhone and Android at MyPD.
